Tuesday, September 7, 2021
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas has revised its COVID-19 entry policies for unvaccinated people after receiving heavy criticism from union members and students.
In a statement yesterday, UB said effective yesterday, anyone entering its campuses must either show proof of vaccination or present a negative rapid antigen test no older than five days upon arrival.
UB also added that costs for COVID testing will be covered by the institution for unvaccinated students, staff members and coaches who are required to come on campus for course-related activities until further notice.
The revised policy comes after the institution announced last week that people entering its campuses must either show proof of vaccination or produce a negative rapid antigen test taken within the last 72 hours. The now revised policy was set to take effect yesterday.
However, the rules received pushback from faculty members and UB Student’s Government Association, who called the decision “reckless”, “dictatorial” and inconvenient.
Yesterday, UB conceded that it decided to revise the protocols after receiving input from various stakeholders.
“Effective Monday, 6 September 2021, all persons entering the campuses of University of The Bahamas must show proof of being fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test. The rapid antigen test result must be no older than five days at the time of presentation,” the statement read.
“For employees, residential students, coaches who must work on campus and students who must come on campus for course related activities during remote operations, but who are not fully vaccinated, University of The Bahamas will cover the cost of rapid antigen tests until further notice, provided that proof of affiliation with UB is presented at the test site.”
Comments
carltonr61 says...
They still miss the science announced by CDC that especially the vaccinated need to tested as they are asymptomatic spreaders. Unlike unvaccinated who test negative. Being fully vaccinated has migrated to a shot every six to eight months. What's after that is probably Zeta varient. And the world turns.
Posted 7 September 2021, 4:13 p.m. Suggest removal
joeblow says...
... It is also known that the delta variant affects the lungs more than the upper airway, so rapid antigen tests may be negative WHILE a person is actually infected.
In other words a person can have a rapid antigen test and still be infected with delta variant!
Posted 7 September 2021, 9:19 p.m. Suggest removal
bahamianson says...
Yes , but the longer the virus stays in the population the more time it has to mutate. Hence, unvaccinated people are increading the chance of the virus' viability. We will never get a solution once the virus keeps mutating. Hopefully, the mutations are deleterious to the virus and not to us
Posted 7 September 2021, 4:40 p.m. Suggest removal
ohdrap4 says...
After the zeta variant, they will name it after people. Like "minnis variant".
@bahamian son, how is it that the virus will disappear from the population, unless you close the border. Completely.
Remember, it was a fedex plane crew that breached the barrier in Australia.
Furthermore, so are the vaccinated increasing to the virus mutation because they transmit it too, even more stealthily.
Posted 7 September 2021, 5:26 p.m. Suggest removal
ohdrap4 says...
COB was experimenting at someone else's intruction.
Had it stuck to the wall the MOE and other ministries would follow suit.
Posted 7 September 2021, 5:27 p.m. Suggest removal
carltonr61 says...
Bahason. There is no curve or straight line to your logic. An unvaccinated person tests negative. How can his body spread something it does not have? Come on now. Now. Once vaccinated the body creates Civid spike proteins which forces the immune system to create anti bodies to it. But not all spikes are alpha Covid because free proteins build up or assimilate into a zoo of animals. Alpha, beta Mu, Delta, no one knows which order genomes will come from wild flowering human/ bat RNA.
Posted 7 September 2021, 5:47 p.m. Suggest removal
Topdude says...
A complete lack of testicular fortitude on the part of the Administration. It will take no time for the faculty and students to protest against giving exams and grading exams and taking exams and being held to minimum academic standards. This is unfortunate as the Administration has now opened the door to having any decision that falls within in their prerogative overturned via faculty protest and student demonstrations.
Posted 7 September 2021, 7:27 p.m. Suggest removal
jammydodger says...
It's incredible that UB with all its clever people can't even get their science right. Vaccinated people are just as able to spread the virus, indeed even show higher viral loads, and so this policy makes no sense.
Posted 8 September 2021, 1:05 p.m. Suggest removal
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